The Boom, The Left and Capitalism (Essay‪)‬

Across the political spectrum it is widely accepted that the expansion of the Australian economy over the past 15 years has reduced the salience of class and economic issues. In 2007, then-Prime Minister John Howard alleged that 'working families have never been better off' (cited in Maiden 2007: 5). While the ALP chastised Howard for neglecting poverty and inequality (eg Swan 2005), the party's political strategy in recent years has targeted 'aspirational' voters, partly on the basis of the belief that growing prosperity weakens public support for traditional social democratic policies. (1) Indeed, ALP Senator Stephen Conroy (2005) argues that the party's biggest challenge is a 'demographic' one: higher incomes and living standards for tradespersons and increased levels of education for children from working class families have transformed these erstwhile 'true believers' into 'middle and upper class families'. Similarly, one of the most recent leaders of the union movement to join the parliamentary wing, Bill Shorten, declared in rather Blairite fashion in his maiden speech that 'old class war conflicts should finally be pronounced dead'. The 'old divides' no longer exist; now the real conflict is reflected 'within business, unions, the community and politics', and between 'those who are stuck in a business-as-usual routine and those that pursue innovation, knowledge and creativity' (House of Representatives Hansard (HRH), 14 February 2008: 330; italics added). Frontbencher Lindsay Tanner's call for more policy emphasis to be placed on 'relationships' underlines the extent to which Labor sees no unfinished business in terms of economic redistribution: Australian 'society is wealthier than ever before, but we're still ... totally neglecting the health of our relationships' (Tanner 2003: 10). Elsewhere, he invokes 'rising affluence' as the key challenge in the 21st century for Labor, as it raises questions about its raison d'etre (Tanner 2005). Clive Hamilton (2006) has been among the most prominent contemporary exponents of the view that growing affluence renders obsolete traditional Left emphases on capitalism's engendering of economic suffering and inequality. He writes of 'the extraordinary success of capitalism in delivering undreamt-of wealth for ordinary people'. The Left should largely forget about poverty and inequality and focus on issues such as alienation and the quality of life in order to develop a 'politics that would help people to step out of the gilded cage and experience true autonomy and authentic lives, a politics for a society in which citizens are committed to "a rich life rather than a life of riches"' (Hamilton 2006: 2).